NFL Draft 2024 In Detroit: Everything You Need To Know

DETROIT — The center of the football world comes to Detroit Thursday as the NFL Draft will take place in downtown areas around Campus Martius, Monroe Street Midway and Hart Plaza.

Officials expect more than 300,000 people to attend the event, so getting around downtown will be tough, and those on foot can expect to walk miles to get from one side of downtown to the other.

Here's everything you need to know:

What time the draft start

The NFL Draft opens to the public at noon Thursday, with the first selection coming around 8 p.m. before shutting down around 10 p.m. The second round opens to the public Friday at noon and will last through 10 p.m. The rest of the draft will happen on Saturday when it opens to the public at 9 a.m. and through 6 p.m.

Where is the stage

There are three main entrances into the NFL Draft event. The entrance that's closes to the stage is on is Michigan Avenue at Randolph Street. There's another entrance south of the stage on east Jefferson Avenue, and a third entrance to the west of the stage on Griswold Street, leading onto Jefferson Avenue.

Road Closures

There are a lot of road closures in downtown areas around the NFL Draft event. Most of the closures are along Woodward Avenue from Interstate 75 to Campus Martius and Jefferson Avenue from the Huntington Place to the Renaissance Center. The people mover will be available 24 hours to help spectators get from one side of downtown to the next.

Parking

Officials urged spectators to leave their car behind and find another to get into downtown due to road closures, parking restrictions and the crowds of people expected to pack downtown. If you do want to drive into downtown, officials encouraged people to get there before 10 a.m. to avoid congestion. Some parking options include:

• WSU Lot 12 at Harper and Woodward - near the Amsterdam QLINE stop
• New Center Garage at 116 Lothrop - near Grand Blvd
• Cass Garage at 6540 Cass Ave - near the Baltimore QLINE stop
• John R & Piquette at 6230 John R. – near the Amsterdam stop

NFL bag policy

Those who want to bring a bag into the NFL Draft will have to meet the requirements: clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC bags are allowed, but they cannot be bigger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. One-gallon plastic freezer bags are also allowed. Strollers, small cameras, binoculars and reusable water bottles are also allowed into the event. No forearms or weapons of any kind are allowed.